Aero Design & Mfg. Co., doing business as Aerostich Riderwear, is a company based in
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
that produces and sells
motorcycle safety clothing
To improve motorcycle safety, many countries mandate the wearing of personal protective equipment such as protective clothing and Motorcycle helmet, helmets. Protective clothing may include certain types of jackets, gloves, Motorcycle boots, bo ...
and other motorcycle related equipment, such as
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...
systems, luggage, and hand tools. It was founded in 1983 by
Andy Goldfine, who is also the founder of the nonprofit
Ride To Work, Inc. and was elected to a third three-year term as an
American Motorcyclist Association
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its motto, mission statement is "t ...
board member in 2008.
They are best known for the
textile protective clothing they create, including the one-piece Roadcrafter suit and Darien jacket. Some
track day organizations, such as
NESBA, allow riders to use textile suits such as the Aerostich instead of full racing leathers.
The company was founded to produce a new recipe for armored all-weather protective clothing, combining these components for the first time: lightweight highly abrasion-resistant Cordura® nylon, breathable-waterproof
Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex is W. L. Gore & Associates's trade name for waterproof, breathable fabric membrane. It was invented in 1969. Gore-Tex blocks liquid water while allowing water vapor to pass through and is designed to be a lightweight, waterproof fabri ...
laminates, tape-sealed waterproof seams, multiple zippered airflow vents, large areas of reflective material, 'viscoelastic' energy-absorbing impact armor (a tempered slow-recovery foam), ergonomic pocketing and highly water-resistant zippers. These components had never previously been combined for use in motorcycle rider's gear.
By the end of the 1980s Aerostich's ground-breaking once piece Roadcrafter suit had become the benchmark which helped make synthetic armored textile rider's gear broadly market-acceptable. The purpose of that suit was (and is) to help make motorcycle commuting and utility transportation uses easier, safer and more comfortable. The company's product range expanded later with products for touring, adventure, and dual-sport riding applications.
Other influential and pioneering products included the first ever advanced-technology adventure touring and off-road oriented Darien jacket and pant (1987), the first ever use of the color high-vis lime-yellow in rider's gear (1999), the first breathable-waterproof three-digit glove raincovers (2000), the first electrically heated bib mid-layer (2009) and the first breathable-waterproof leather riding suit (2010).
In 2016, Aerostich founder
Andy Goldfine was named Motorcyclist of the Year by
Motorcyclist Magazine.
The Aerostich catalog has been noted for listing humorous fake products, such as a "magnetic baby onesie" for attaching infants to a motorcycle,
often at incredibly high prices.
See also
*
Motorcycle armor
References
External links
Official site
1983 establishments in Minnesota
American companies established in 1983
Companies based in Minnesota
Motorcycle safety gear manufacturers
Motorcycling retailers
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